Having watched Addison Heimann’s “Touch Me,” I was left with one question: what the actual fuck? And I mean that in the best way humanly possible. Between the detailed visuals of alien tentacle sex and the frequent dance breaks, this entire thing felt like a fever dream or the wildest acid trip in the desert. While the film has B-movie vibes, it’s filled with incredibly strong acting, especially from lead actor Olivia Taylor Dudley, who plays Joey.
Beating Anxiety Even If It Kills You
Centered around Joey and her best friend, Craig (Jordan Gavaris) and their dumpster fire of a life that they enable for each other, “Touch Me” could be a poignant social commentary on how society fails victims of sexual assault, the self-sabotaging mechanisms used to cope, and the effectiveness of therapy and community. But the film doesn’t want to be taken that seriously. So instead you get mildly uncomfortable dance scenes featuring alien Brian (Lou Taylor Pucci) and Paget Brewster yelling in a coffee shop.
As someone with generalized anxiety disorder, I related to Joey’s anxiety and how desperate she was to quiet her mind that she’d fall into addiction after addiction to ease her pain. Dudley carries the film on her back with her pointed facial expressions, different tone switches in her voice, and her comedic timing. Every time the story veers off into left field, Dudley and her performance anchors the audience into place. You may not like her, but she invokes compassion and, yes, pity.
F*** The Pain Away
The first half of the movie really plays like a batshit comedy but sharply moves into horror when the co-dependent besties realize that the alien with heroin touch is a murderer. Joey’s obsession with Brian’s anxiety-killing touch kept putting her in dangerous situations, but she didn’t care because all that mattered was the feeling of peace he provided her. It’s a classic tale of a girl repeatedly seeking out her toxic ex, not because she loves him, but because she’s unhealthily attached to the way he makes her feel, even if it’s fleeting.
There’s gore and sex and gory sex a-plenty in this short, 99-minute film. I don’t have the vocabulary necessary to describe the downright batshit sex scenes that are sprinkled throughout. Brian is an alien parasitic worm with tentacles that cosplays as a tracksuit-wearing human man. He’s a liar who definitely wants to take over the world one hand-devouring clone at a time. The most eye-popping scene was when Brian’s crazed assistant Laura (Marlene Forte) shoved a piece of Brian’s tentacle INSIDE OF HER VAGINA. Nothing will ever prepare you for seeing something like that, except porn, I suppose.
And speaking of porn, the nods to Japanese culture while featuring tentacle sex was about as subtle as a train smashing through a house. There were moments that felt gratuitous, however, you’re pulled back into being invested in the story because of Joey’s heartbreaking past and reality.
Final Thoughts
“Touch Me” is not a casual Sunday watch with the family. It’s one of those movies you check out when you’re alone and maybe a little high. Joey’s desperation to quiet her mind is deeply relatable, which was necessary to feel going on this wild ride. If Dudley wasn’t there to secure the audience with her genuinely stellar performance, the film would’ve been a lost cause. While it doesn’t have the most brilliant writing, there are pockets of thoughtfulness that sit with you for a while.
Rating:
Two codependent best friends become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world.
I am a published writer, full-time editor, an events and entertainment reporter and mother of one. Comic books, drag queens, women’s basketball, queer films and TV shows are my bread and butter.